,illustration3 ,cover art        ,here1 
when ,art was still religion1 with a    
simple1 reverent heart1   ,lived and    
laboured ,albrecht ,drer1 the           
,evangelist of ,art2    ,hence in       
silence and in sorrow1 toiling still    
with busy hand1   ,like an emigrant he  
wandered1 seeking for the ,better ,land4
    ,,longfellow1 ,nuremberg4           
,,evangelists ,,of ,,art                
,,picture-,,sermons ,,for ,,children    
,,by   ,,rev4 ,,james ,,patrick1 ,b4,d41
 ,b4,sc4  ,,couper ,,united ,,free      
,,church1 ,,burntisland      ,could ,i  
have traced one form that should express
     ,the sacred mystery that underlies 
,all ,beauty1 and through man's         
enraptured eyes   ,teach him how        
beautiful is ,holiness444           ,sir
 ,j4 ,,no,l ,,paton     ,,cincinnati    
,,jennings  ,,graham  #aijc     ,printed
 by ,,morrison  ,,gibb ,,limited1       
,edinburgh     ,,contents       ,i4     
,,christ ,,in ,,the ,,temple 4 4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 4 ,w4 ,holman ,hunt     ,,ii4      

,,luther ,,at ,,erf,,rt 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
4 4 4 ,sir ,j4 ,nol ,paton1 ,r4,s4,a4   
,,iii4 ,,hercules ,,wrestling ,,with    
,,death ,,for        ,,the ,,body ,,of  
,,alcestis 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,lord      
,leighton1 ,p4,r4,a4     ,,iv4 ,,orpheus
 ,,and ,,eurydice 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,g4 
,f4 ,watts1 ,s4,a4      ,v4 ,,the ,,last
 ,,sleep ,,of ,,argyll 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,e4
 ,m4 ,ward1 ,r4,a4     ,,vi4 ,,wishart  
,,dispensing ,,the ,,sacrament          
,,before ,,his ,,martyrdom 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
 4 4 ,w4 ,q4 ,orchardson1 ,r4,a4        
,,vii4 ,,the ,,rider ,,on ,,the ,,white 
,,horse 4 4 4 4 4 ,g4 ,f4 ,watts1 ,r4,a4
   ,,viii4 ,,the ,,man ,,with ,,the     
,,muck-,,rake 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,sir ,j4 ,nol 
,paton1 ,r4,s4,a4     ,,christ ,,in     
,,the ,,temple  ,,by ,w4 ,,holman ,,hunt
   ,illustration3 ,,christ ,,in ,,the   
,,temple4  ,by permission of ,mr4       
,holman ,hunt1 and of ,mrs4 ,holt1      
,liverpool   ,,christ ,,in ,,the        
,,temple  ,how is it that ye sought ,me8
  ,wist ye not that ,i must be in ,my   

,father's house8--,,luke ii4 #di        
7,revised ,version74   ,the ,bible story
 from which the text is taken has been  
illustrated by a famous picture4  ,the  
artist is ,mr4 ,holman ,hunt1 who has   
painted many pictures on ,bible         
subjects1 and has spent many years in   
,palestine in connection with his work4 
,his painting of ,the ,finding of       
,christ in the ,temple is well worth    
seeing for the rich beauty of its       
colouring and the delicate fineness of  
its workmanship1 and every one who loves
 the ,bible must feel that it is still  
more worth seeing for the sake of the   
scene which it represents4  ,as you look
 at the picture you have before you the 
interior of a spacious portico in the   
,temple at ,jerusalem4  ,the roof is    
supported on graceful pillars1 and from 
it there hang many lamps of beautiful   
metal-work4  ,the farther end is closed 
by an ornamental lattice-screen4 ,at the
 right hand side a wide doorway opens on
 the steps which lead down to one of the

 ,temple courts4  ,a beggar sits on the 
steps just outside the opening1 and     
beyond him there are workmen busy at the
 building of the ,temple1 which1 as you 
know1 was not finished for many years   
after the boyhood of ,jesus4  ,you      
remember that when ,he had grown to     
manhood1 the ,jews said to ,him1 ,forty 
and six years was this ,temple in       
building1#a and even then we know that  
it was not completed4  ,in our picture  
we see the scaffolding of the masons1   
and one of the cranes by which they     
raised the stones into position4  ,the  
workmen themselves are engaged with a   
large marble block which is lying on the
 ground1 and for which there is a vacant
 space in the wall above4  ,beyond the  
unfinished building there is a grove of 
trees1 and in the further distance we   
get a glimpse of the roofs of the city  
and of the hills behind4  ,coming back  
to the interior of the portico we see an
 interesting group of figures at the    
farther end4  ,a father and mother have 

come to present their child in the      
,temple1 and they have bought a lamb to 
offer in sacrifice4  ,the father1 with  
the lamb on his shoulder1 and the       
mother1 with the little one in her arms1
 are following a priest and another     
attendant who are leading the way       
further into the ,temple1 while the man 
who has sold them the lamb is holding   
back the mother-sheep4  ,doves are      
flying in by the doorway or hovering    
about inside4  ,they are among the      
,happy birds that sing and fly   ,round 
,thine altars1 ,o ,most ,high4  ,a boy  
near one of the pillars is waving a long
 streamer in the air to frighten them   
away4  ,but our attention is principally
 drawn to the foreground of the picture4
  ,this part of the portico is richly   
carpeted1 and here a number of ,jewish  
,rabbis--the doctors or teachers of the 
,law--are sitting in a half-circle1     
facing the doorway4  ,they are grave    
men1 with long beards and flowing robes4
  ,many of them are old and grey4  ,the 

,rabbi nearest us has a specially       
withered face1 and eyes that have become
 sightless with age4  ,the one next him 
holds in his hand a little metal box    
with leather thongs hanging down from   
it4  ,this is a phylactery1 containing  
texts of ,scripture written on          
parchment1 and the thongs are for       
fastening it on the forehead4  ,another 
of the group wears his phylactery in its
 proper position4  ,the blind ,rabbi    
clasps in his arms a great roll of the  
,law1 richly mounted and carefully      
wrapped up4  ,a little boy1 with a brush
 to drive away the flies1 kneels beside 
him1 and another boy behind him is      
reverently kissing the covering of the  
roll1 which he has raised to his lips4  
,one of the younger ,rabbis holds a     
smaller roll spread out before him4  ,an
 attendant is pouring out wine from a   
jar under his arm1 for one of the older 
men to drink4  ,the ,temple musicians1  
with youthful faces1 and with various   
instruments in their hands1 stand behind

 the ,rabbis and watch the scene with   
much interest4  ,but the central figure 
in the picture is the boy ,jesus1 who   
has risen from the place where ,he has  
been sitting1 and is preparing to go    
away with ,joseph and ,mary4  ,he stands
 just inside the doorway1 tightening    
,his girdle with one hand1 while the    
other hand clasps ,his mother's arm4    
,his bright1 earnest face is turned a   
little away from her1 and ,his eyes     
glance towards the ,rabbis as if ,he    
were eager to hear the last of their    
words4  ,mary is smiling with gladness  
because she has found ,him1 and is      
drawing ,him gently and lovingly away4  
,behind her1 ,joseph1 a powerful and    
noble-looking man1 holds with one hand  
the broad strap by which his wallet is  
slung over his shoulder1 while his other
 hand rests beside ,mary's on the       
shoulder of ,jesus4  ,just above his    
head there is a large sun-shaped design 
on the side of the doorway1 around which
 run the words1 both in ,latin and in   

,hebrew1 ,the ,lord whom ye seek shall  
suddenly come to ,his ,temple4#b  ,now  
there are at least two lessons which the
 story and the picture teach us4  ,there
 are two things in which the boy ,jesus 
sets an example to the boys and girls of
 to-day4   ,i  ,first of all1 there is  
,love of heavenly wisdom4  ,you can well
 understand that there must have been   
many places and many things in the great
 and ancient city of ,jerusalem which   
would be full of interest for a boy of  
twelve1 who had just come for the first 
time from ,his distant village home4    
,but there was no place so attractive to
 ,jesus as the ,temple of ,god4  ,there 
was nothing that pleased ,him so much as
 to hear what the wise men of the       
,temple had to say about ,god's truth   
and ,god's service4  ,he had thought a  
great deal about these matters ,himself 
though ,he was only a boy4  ,he had a   
great many questions to ask4  ,three    
days had not been long enough for ,him  
to find out all that ,he wanted to know4

  ,he thought that ,joseph and ,mary    
would have understood what ,he liked    
best1 that they would have known exactly
 where to find ,him1 that they would    
never have thought of looking for ,him  
in any other place than ,his ,father's  
house4  ,you see that the love of       
heavenly wisdom is as natural and as    
beautiful in a young mind as in an older
 one4  ,the picture that ,i have been   
describing shows ,jesus with a real1    
bright1 boyish face1 which is earnest   
and thoughtful at the same time4  ,and  
you boys and girls who read these pages 
will be able to make the best of the    
happy days of your youth if you love    
your ,heavenly ,father and ,his house1  
if you are eager to know and to obey    
,his will4   ,,ii  ,secondly1 there is  
,obedience to earthly parents4  ,it was 
not with any intention of disobeying    
,joseph and ,mary that ,jesus stayed    
behind in the ,temple4  ,he did not     
think of their losing ,him1 or of their 
being anxious about ,him4  ,he did not  

mean to grieve or vex them4  ,he was so 
carried away by ,his interest in the    
teaching of the wise ,rabbis that ,he   
thought about nothing else4  ,this was  
just like a boy1 and ,jesus was a real  
boy4  ,but as soon as ,joseph and ,mary 
found ,him and called ,him1 ,he obeyed  
them4  ,he rose from ,his seat among the
 doctors and went with ,his parents     
towards the doorway4  ,he would have    
liked to stay longer1 and ,he could not 
help looking back and listening to the  
last4  ,but ,he never once dreamed of   
remaining against ,mary's or ,joseph's  
will4  ,he never thought of making ,his 
love for ,god's wisdom and truth an     
excuse for disobeying them4  ,he went   
down with them1 and came to ,nazareth3  
and ,he was subject unto them4#c  ,and  
so the boys and girls who are the most  
earnest and thoughtful1 those who love  
,god's house and ,god's ,word most      
deeply1 ought to be the most obedient   
boys and girls at home4  ,god does not  
want to take your mind and heart away   

from your parents and from what you owe 
to them4 ,he wants you to serve ,him by 
your loving obedience to them4  ,when   
you honour your father and your mother  
you are honouring ,god's commandment1   
and so honouring ,god ,himself in the   
very best way4    #a ,john ii4 #bj4  #b 
,mal4 iii4 #a4  #c ,luke ii4 #ea        
7,revised ,version74     ,,luther ,,at  
,,erf,,rt  ,by ,,the ,,late ,,sir ,j4   
,,no,l ,,paton1 ,r4,s4,a4               
,illustration3 ,,luther ,,at ,,erf,,rt4 
,by permission of the executors of ,sir 
,nol ,paton1 and ,mr4 ,r4 ,h4 ,brechin1 
,glasgow   ,,luther ,,at ,,erf,,rt  ,i  
rejoice at ,thy word1 as one that       
findeth great spoil4--,ps4 cxix4 #afb4  
,i wish to connect this text with a     
picture which is thought by many judges 
to be among the greatest of the late    
,sir ,nol ,paton's works4 ,its title is 
,dawn1 and its subject is a well-known  
incident in the life of the famous      
,german ,reformer1 ,martin ,luther4  ,as
 we see ,luther in this picture he is a 

young man between twenty and thirty     
years of age4  ,he has had a brilliant  
career at the ,university of ,erfrt1 and
 has taken his degree with the highest  
honours1 but he has disappointed all his
 friends by refusing to become a lawyer1
 and by choosing to become a monk       
instead4  ,he has already entered the   
,augustinian monastery at ,erfrt4       
,luther's reason for taking this        
unexpected step has been anxiety about  
his soul4  ,he has begun to do his best 
to gain salvation by performing all the 
duties of a monk4  ,he has fasted1 and  
scourged himself1 and done without      
sleep4  ,he has once spent three whole  
days without eating or drinking4  ,he   
has been found fainting on the floor of 
his cell4  ,but with all this he does   
not feel that ,god has forgiven his     
sins4  ,in this monastery1 however1 he  
has found something which he has never  
seen before1 and that is a ,bible4 ,you 
would think it strange nowadays if a man
 were over twenty years old1 and a      

,master of ,arts1 and yet had never seen
 a ,bible2 but that was quite common in 
,luther's time4  ,well1 in this         
monastery there is a ,bible1 a great    
,latin book bound in red leather4  ,the 
other monks have shown it to ,luther1   
though they have not cared much about it
 themselves4  ,he has begun to read it  
eagerly4  ,the first thing he has read  
in it has been the story of ,hannah and 
the little ,samuel1 and this has made   
him think of his own mother ,margarethe 
and himself4  ,night and day he studies 
this precious book1 but at first it only
 makes him more anxious4  ,it seems to  
speak to him only of the righteous and  
jealous ,god1 who hates and punishes    
sin4  ,but he gets some advice from a   
wise friend1 and begins to read the     
,epistle to the ,romans over again4     
,and at length the glad meaning of the  
gospel dawns upon him4  ,his own account
 of it is1 ,straightway ,i felt as if ,i
 were born anew4  ,it was as if ,i had  
found the door of ,paradise thrown wide 

open4  ,now ,i saw the ,scriptures      
altogether in a new light4  ,that       
passage of ,paul was to me the true door
 of ,paradise4  ,sir ,nol ,paton's      
picture represents ,luther reading the  
,bible and finding his restlessness and 
anxiety giving place to gladness and    
peace of heart4  ,he is sitting at a    
reading-table with the great            
leather-covered book open before him4   
,he wears his monk's dark robe and cowl4
  ,his hands are thin and wasted4  ,his 
cheeks are pale and hollow with fasting4
  ,his eyes are bloodshot and fevered   
with anxiety and sleeplessness4  ,near  
his left hand a richly carved crucifix  
stands on the table1 and beside it are  
an hour-glass and a skull4  ,an ink-pot 
with pens is at the other side4  ,a lamp
 hangs from the roof above his head1 but
 it is giving no light4  ,only a thin   
blue trail of smoke rises from the wick1
 showing that the oil has been burnt    
out4  ,the fresh morning air is coming  
in at a half-opened window above the    

crucifix4 ,the bright morning sun shines
 through the richly stained glass1 and  
makes a strange blur of coloured light  
on the wooden shutter behind4 ,the front
 of the reading-table is adorned by a   
picture of the ,garden of ,gethsemane1  
with ,christ praying1 and the disciples 
sleeping4  ,on the wall behind ,luther  
is a portrait of ,pope ,alexander ,,vi41
 who died not long before this time1 and
 was one of the worst of men4  ,in a    
recess beyond a curtain we see on       
another stained-glass window1 the figure
 of ,augustine1 one of the great        
teachers of the early ,church1 after    
whom the monastery at ,erfrt was named4 
,a number of old parchment-covered books
 are visible1 and it is interesting to  
notice the titles of some of them1 and  
the places where they lie4  ,away on a  
shelf are the works of ,aristotle1 a    
great philosopher of ancient heathen    
,greece4  ,on the floor beside the      
reading-table is a book by a man called 
,thomas ,aquinas1 a famous ,roman       

,catholic teacher of the thirteenth     
century4 ,and on the table is a book by 
,augustine about the ,city of ,god4  ,a 
rosary1 that is1 a string of black beads
 with a cross at the end1 has been      
thrust between the leaves of this last  
book1 as if to mark the page4  ,we seem 
to see that ,luther has come from the   
heathen philosopher to the ,roman       
,catholic doctor1 and then to the       
earlier ,christian teacher1 and last of 
all to the ,bible itself4  ,for the     
,bible is the only open book2 and the   
pale1 worn1 young monk1 who has been    
reading it all night1 is still bending  
over it in the early morning1 with a    
wonderful earnestness in his look4  ,the
 sunrise outside is an emblem of the    
light that is beginning to dawn upon his
 soul4  ,now what can this picture teach
 you8  ,two things1 ,i think1 at least4 
,i  ,the first is to prize the ,bible   
and study it earnestly4  ,you can       
understand what a surprising and        
precious discovery the ,bible was to    

,luther1 how glad he was to read it1 how
 he rejoiced in ,god's ,word as one that
 findeth great spoil4  ,and one of the  
first things he did when he had an      
opportunity was to translate the ,bible 
into the common speech of the ,german   
people1 that every one might be able to 
have it1 and that no one might grow to  
manhood or womanhood without having seen
 it or read it4  ,bibles are common and 
cheap in these days1 but ,i am afraid   
that there are still some people who are
 as old as ,luther in our picture1 and  
yet do not know very much about the     
truths which the ,scriptures contain4   
,be sure that you do not despise the    
,bible because it is so familiar4 ,it is
 still the best of all books4  ,try to  
take as much interest in it as if it    
were a book you had never seen before1  
and you will always find something new  
and fresh in it to reward you4   ,,ii   
,the second is to discover in the ,bible
 ,god's message of love and peace to    
your own heart4  ,luther's case shows   

that you cannot win ,god's forgiveness  
by punishing yourself1 by fasting1 and  
scourging1 and sleeplessness1 and things
 like these1 while you can get          
forgiveness for nothing just by taking  
it from ,god4  ,jesus ,christ has won it
 for you4 ,he has loved you and given   
,himself for you4  ,you simply need to  
believe that ,god pardons you and saves 
you freely for ,jesus ,christ's sake4   
,this was what ,luther found in his     
,bible4  ,it is the best thing you can  
find in yours4  ,and when you do find it
 ,i am sure that you also will rejoice  
as one that findeth great spoil4        
,,hercules ,,wrestling ,,with ,,death   
,,for ,,the ,,body ,,of ,,alcestis  ,,by
 ,,the ,,late ,,lord ,,leighton1        
,p4,r4,a4   ,illustration3 ,,hercules   
,,wrestling ,,with ,,death ,,for ,,the  
,,body ,,of ,,alcestis4 ,by permission  
of the ,fine ,art ,society1 #gdh ,new   
,bond ,street1 ,london1 the owners of   
the copyright   ,,hercules ,,wrestling  
,,with ,,death ,,for ,,the ,,body ,,of  

,,alcestis  ,that through death ,he     
might bring to nought him that had the  
power of death4--,,heb4 ii4 #ad         
7,revised ,version74   ,we come now to a
 picture which represents a scene in one
 of the most beautiful stories of       
ancient ,greece4  ,there was a king of  
,thessaly called ,admetus1 with whom the
 god ,apollo served for a time as       
herdsman4 ,apollo had offended ,zeus1   
the ,father of the gods1 by killing the 
forgers of the thunderbolts with which  
,zeus had slain ,apollo's son           
,asclepius--    ,and so1 for punishment1
 must needs go slave1   ,god as he was1 
with a mere mortal lord4  ,he found     
,admetus to be a kind master1 and when  
his term of service was over he showed  
his gratitude by obtaining from the     
,fates a promise that1 whenever ,admetus
 should be about to die1 his life would 
be spared1 if only some one of his      
friends should be found willing to die  
instead of him4  ,the promise was very  
soon put to the test4  ,admetus was     

struck down with a deadly disease4  ,his
 father ,pheres and his mother were each
 asked if they would die for their son1 
but though they were old1 and had not   
many years of life to hope for at the   
best1 neither of them was willing to    
make the sacrifice4  ,when they refused1
 ,alcestis1 the wife of ,admetus1       
offered herself to ,death in the flower 
of her youth and beauty4  ,she was      
taken1 and her husband was spared4      
,hercules was the greatest hero of the  
,greeks--their strong man1 like ,samson 
in the ,bible4  ,and when ,alcestis died
 ,hercules came to the rescue4  ,he     
wrestled with ,death1 overcame him1 and 
gave ,alcestis back to her husband      
again4  ,this beautiful tale was taken  
by the ,greek poet ,euripides as the    
subject of one of his plays1 the        
,alcestis1 which some of you may read   
when you are older4  ,the story is also 
found in ,english in ,browning's        
,balaustion's ,adventure1 which is just 
a translation and explanation of the    

poem of ,euripides4  ,the fight of      
,hercules with ,death for the body of   
,alcestis has been painted as well as   
sung4  ,lord ,leighton's large and      
masterly picture brings the whole scene 
before us4  ,in the centre you see the  
body of ,alcestis1 which has been       
brought out of doors1 and laid on a bier
 under the shadow of some ancient trees4
  ,beyond it1 in the background1 is the 
dark blue sea1 flecked with white spots 
of foam4  ,the dead body is covered with
 pure white drapery4  ,the beautiful    
face is pale as marble1 and the brow is 
crowned with a garland of myrtle leaves4
  ,roses are strewn on the white        
coverlet1 and on the ground4  ,beside   
the bier are the offerings of food and  
drink which the ,greeks used to burn    
along with their dead on the funeral    
pyre4  ,in the left hand corner lies a  
shovel for digging the grave that is to 
receive the ashes4  ,several men and    
women are gathered round the bier1      
mostly in a group near the head of      

,alcestis4  ,they are her friends1 and  
the servants attending her dead body4   
,at the right hand side of the picture  
we see a terrible conflict going on4    
,death has come in bodily form to meet  
the funeral procession1 and to take     
,alcestis away4  ,his limbs are of a    
ghastly ashen colour4  ,his wings are   
black as night4  ,he is wrapped in a    
dark mantle1 which hides almost the     
whole of his face1 and shows only the   
fearful gleam of his eyes4  ,but        
,hercules is also there1 strong and     
ruddy1 and wearing the skin of a lion   
which he has slain in one of his        
adventures4  ,he has grasped ,death by  
both wrists1 and is forcing him         
downwards and backwards over his knee4  
,he is plainly overcoming his adversary4
  ,one of the women present is swooning 
away in fear4  ,some of the others are  
hiding their faces from the dreadful    
struggle4  ,the rest are gazing on it   
with awestruck looks1 hardly daring to  
hope that ,hercules will be victorious4 

,browning's poem1 which was published in
 the same year#a in which ,lord         
,leighton's painting appeared1 contains 
at the end a description of the picture1
 which you will be glad to read here4   
,there lies ,alkestis dead1 beneath the 
sun1   ,she longed to look her last     
upon1 beside   ,the sea1 which somehow  
tempts the life in us   ,to come trip   
over its white waste of waves1   ,and   
try escape from earth1 and fleet as     
free4   ,behind the body1 ,i suppose    
there bends   ,old ,pheres in his hoary 
impotence2   ,and women-wailers in a    
corner crouch         99        99      
99        99        99   ,close1 each to
 other1 agonising all1   ,as fastened1  
in fear's rhythmic sympathy1   ,to two  
contending opposite4  ,there strains    
,the might o' the hero 'gainst his more 
than match1   --,death1 dreadful not in 
thew and bone1 but like   ,the envenomed
 substance that exudes some dew         
,whereby the merely honest flesh and    
blood   ,will fester up and run to ruin 

straight1   ,ere they can close with1   
clasp and overcome   ,the poisonous     
impalpability   ,that simulates a form  
beneath the flow   ,of those grey       
garments4   ,now1 of course1 the story  
of ,admetus and ,alcestis is a fable1   
but for all that it is not worthless as 
some fables are4  ,though the god       
,apollo never existed1 and never lived  
among men as a servant1 yet the old tale
 reminds us of ,him who was truly the   
,son of ,god2 who came to this world and
 lived a human life like our own--a life
 of lowly service2 who did this not     
because of any crime ,he had committed1 
since ,he was perfectly holy2 and not   
because any one forced ,him to do it1   
but of ,his own free and loving choice4 
,and further1 the story shows us how    
sorrow and death came to these old      
,greeks1 and awakened in their hearts   
great dreams and longings4  ,these      
desires seemed vain enough then1 because
 there was no one who could fulfil them4
  ,but they were the very desires which 

,jesus ,christ came to fulfil in due    
time4  ,the ,greeks thought of a love   
which was strong enough to make one lay 
down one's life for a friend1 and they  
put that idea into the sacrifice of     
,alcestis4  ,they thought1 too1 of a    
power which was strong enough to conquer
 ,death1 and to bring lost ones back to 
life1 and they put that idea into the   
victory of ,hercules4  ,in ,jesus       
,christ you actually find both such a   
love and such a power4 ,he laid down    
,his life for ,his friends--yes1 and for
 ,his enemies4  ,he loved us1 and gave  
,himself for us4  ,and1 though ,he died1
 yet ,he conquered ,death4  ,he rose    
again in victory and glory4  ,he gives  
eternal life to all ,his disciples4  ,he
 has abolished death1 and has brought   
life and immortality to light4  ,must   
not this picture1 and this old-world    
story1 make us think reverently and     
lovingly of ,him1 and of the verse which
 tells how ,he came that through death  
,he might bring to nought him that had  

the power of death8    #a #ahga4        
,,orpheus ,,and ,,eurydice  ,,by ,g4 ,f4
 ,,watts1 ,r4,a4   ,illustration3       
,,orpheus ,,and ,,eurydice ,by          
permission from a photograph by ,mr4    
,frederick ,hollyer   ,,orpheus ,,and   
,,eurydice  ,he that goeth down to the  
grave shall come up no more4--,job vii4 
#i4   ,our last picture showed us a     
struggle in which ,death was conquered4 
,this one illustrates another old ,greek
 story--the story of a fight with ,death
 that failed4  ,it is by ,mr4 ,g4 ,f4   
,watts1 one of the most famous of living
 painters1 and it is called ,orpheus and
 ,eurydice4  ,according to the old fable
 ,orpheus was a great musician1 so      
skilful that he could tame wild beasts1 
and even make the trees and rocks move  
by the sweet melodies which he played4  
,eurydice was his wife1 and one day she 
trod on a snake1 which bit her1 so that 
she died1 and went down into the world  
of ghosts4  ,orpheus loved her so much  
that he followed her into that gloomy   

place1 taking his lyre with him4  ,he   
played such entrancing music that all   
the ghosts were spellbound4  ,even      
,persephone1 the stern ,queen of the    
,dead1 was so touched that she gave him 
leave to take ,eurydice back with him to
 the land of the living4  ,but she      
warned him that he must not look back   
till they were both safely out in the   
upper world4  ,orpheus was glad beyond  
measure1 and meant to obey the warning4 
,but he was so anxious about ,eurydice1 
that just before they had passed the    
gate of the under world he looked round1
 to make sure that she was near him4    
,in an instant she was whirled away     
back1 to dwell for ever among the dead4 
,orpheus came forth alone1 twice        
bereaved1 and more than doubly sad4     
,mr4 ,watts has painted several pictures
 of ,orpheus and ,eurydice4  ,some of   
them show the figures at full length1   
but the one in our illustration is less 
complete4  ,still it contains the       
principal points that are to be seen in 

the other companion paintings4  ,the    
scene is the gloomy gateway of the world
 of the dead4  ,it is all rough and     
rocky and dark4  ,through its opening   
you catch a glimpse of the bright upper 
world1 and of the blue sky with its     
white clouds4  ,orpheus stands in the   
shadow4  ,his body has the glow of life 
and health4  ,he wears his minstrel's   
garland on his brow4  ,but his face is  
full of anguish4  ,for he has looked    
backwards1 and he sees that ,eurydice1  
who is close behind him1 is a pale      
corpse again4  ,her arms1 that have just
 been stretched out to clasp his neck1  
have lost their power and are falling   
down lifelessly4  ,her head is drooping 
upon her shoulder4  ,her eyes are       
closed1 and her fair face is turned     
towards the under world4  ,one of the   
pictures shows a lily which has dropped 
from her hand1 and lies trailing and    
broken among the stones at her feet4    
,her long golden hair is blowing        
backwards into the dark4  ,the right arm

 of ,orpheus is stretched out in a vain 
attempt to grasp her1 and to hold her   
back from being carried away by the     
resistless power that draws her4  ,his  
left hand holds his lyre1 and all its   
strings save one are broken4  ,his eye  
is fixed on ,eurydice's face in a gaze  
of hopeless pain4  ,the picture is      
terrible rather than beautiful to look  
upon4  ,it tells us how1 in the sad1    
dark heathen world1 before ,christ came1
 men thought that though ,love might    
sometimes seem stronger than ,death1    
,death was really stronger than ,love4  
,now the story of ,orpheus has an       
interest for us in more ways than one4  
,the early ,christians liked to think of
 the resemblance between ,orpheus and   
,christ4  ,they saw in the minstrel1 who
 tamed the wild beasts with his music1 a
 type of the gracious and gentle        
,saviour who came to subdue the evil    
passions of men's hearts1 and to change 
confusion and strife into harmony and   
peace4  ,in the pictures which they have

 left in the ,roman ,catacombs ,christ  
is very frequently represented under the
 figure of the fabled musician4  ,he    
appears as a young man sitting beneath a
 tree1 wearing a country cloak and cap1 
and with a harp on ,his knee4 ,the lion1
 the wolf1 the leopard1 the horse1 the  
sheep1 the serpent1 and the tortoise are
 gathered round ,him1 and peacocks and  
other birds are perched upon the        
branches of the tree4  ,but our picture 
leads us rather to think of the         
difference between ,orpheus and ,christ4
  ,christ's love1 unlike the love of    
,orpheus1 is stronger than death4  ,it  
brought back to life the little daughter
 of ,jairus1 who had died just before   
,he came to her father's house4  ,it    
brought back the widow's son at ,nain1  
when his body was being carried to the  
grave4  ,it brought back ,lazarus of    
,bethany1 after he had been dead four   
days4  ,the love of ,christ took ,him   
into the world of the dead ,himself1    
that ,he might return as a ,conqueror4  

,it sets free all ,his disciples from   
the power of death4  ,it brings them all
 back1 not to this world of sin and     
sorrow1 where they would have to die    
again1 but into the better world of     
heaven1 where they have everlasting life
 and gladness4  ,what the old heathen   
,greeks dreamed of hopelessly has come  
to pass4  ,what ,orpheus could not do   
for ,eurydice because of his weakness   
and forgetfulness1 ,jesus ,christ in    
,his strength and wisdom can do for you 
and me4  ,he will do it if we trust     
,him4  ,his disciples need never be     
troubled by the old despairing thought1 
,he that goeth down to the grave shall  
come up no more4     ,,the ,,last       
,,sleep ,,of ,,argyll  ,,by ,,the ,,late
 ,e4 ,m4 ,,ward1 ,r4,a4   ,illustration3
 ,,the ,,last ,,sleep ,,of ,,argyll4    
,by permission of ,messrs4 ,thomas      
,agnew  ,sons4   ,,the ,,last ,,sleep   
,,of ,,argyll  ,thou wilt keep him in   
perfect peace whose mind is stayed on   
,thee1 because he trusteth in           

,thee4--,,isa4 xxvi4 #c4   ,this is a   
painting which takes us back1 not to any
 legend of pagan times1 nor to any      
,bible story1 nor to any incident of the
 ,reformation in other lands1 but to a  
scene in the history of our own country1
 and it is well worthy of its place     
among the other historical pictures in  
the ,commons' ,corridor of the ,houses  
of ,parliament4  ,the nobleman who is   
the subject of the picture is not the   
great and famous ,marquis of ,argyll1   
but his son1 the ninth ,earl of ,argyll4
  ,the ,marquis was put to death in the 
year #affa1 as one of the first victims 
of the cruel government of ,king        
,charles ,,ii4 after the ,restoration4  
,he was the man who had placed the crown
 on the head of ,charles at ,scone1 when
 the ,scottish people were loyal to him1
 though the ,english would not own him  
as their king4  ,when ,charles came to  
the throne of both countries1 after ten 
years of exile1 he showed his gratitude 
to his faithful servant by sending him  

to the scaffold4  ,the first words of   
the ,marquis1 after he received the     
sentence of death1 were1 ,i had the     
honour to set the crown upon the king's 
head1 and now he hastens me to a better 
crown than his own4  ,and when he was   
leaving the prison to go to the place of
 execution1 he said to his friends1 ,i  
could die like a ,roman1 but choose     
rather to die as a ,christian4  ,the    
,earl1 his son1 who appears in our      
picture1 was executed in #afhe1 the     
first year of ,charles' successor1      
,james ,,ii4  ,it was the same year in  
which ,john ,brown1 the carrier of      
,priesthill1 was shot by ,claverhouse in
 front of his own house1 and before his 
wife's eyes2 the year also in which     
,margaret ,maclachlan and ,margaret     
,wilson--the latter a maiden of         
eighteen--were tied to stakes fixed in  
the sand1 and drowned for ,christ's sake
 in the ,solway tide4  ,the ,earl of    
,argyll was a man who worthily followed 
the noble example of his father4  ,he   

was condemned to death on a charge of   
treason1 because he would not swear a   
certain oath called the ,test4  ,this   
oath was directed against the ,scottish 
,covenanters1 and all the king's        
officers and servants were required to  
take it4  ,argyll did not approve of all
 that was in the oath1 and said that he 
could only swear it in so far as it     
agreed with the ,bible and with itself4 
,for this he was tried1 and sentenced to
 die1 a few years before the end of the 
reign of ,charles ,,ii4  ,but he escaped
 from prison1 and fled to ,holland1     
where he remained for a time in safety4 
,when ,james ,,ii4 came to the throne on
 the death of ,charles1 the ,earl took  
part in a rebellion against him1 and    
came back to ,scotland at the head of an
 army4  ,the rebellion failed1 and      
,argyll was taken prisoner at           
,inchinnan1 near ,renfrew4  ,he was     
brought to ,edinburgh1 and though he    
might have been tried for his rebellion1
 he was just treated as a man already   

sentenced to death4  ,on the morning of 
his execution1 he said1 ,i have more joy
 and comfort this day than the day after
 ,i escaped out of the ,castle4  ,he    
then wrote some letters1 and took his   
dinner as cheerfully as usual4  ,after  
dinner1 as his custom was1 he lay down  
to rest for a little1 and slept for a   
quarter of an hour as sweetly and       
pleasantly as he had ever done4  ,while 
he was asleep1 an officer of state1 who 
had been one of his chief enemies1 came 
to the ,castle to see him1 with a       
message from the ,council4  ,he was told
 that ,argyll was asleep1 and was not to
 be disturbed4  ,when he refused to     
believe this the gaoler softly opened   
the door and allowed him to look into   
the cell4  ,as soon as he saw the ,earl 
sleeping he turned without a word1 and  
ran out of the ,castle into a friend's  
house near by4  ,he was so agitated that
 the lady of the house thought he was   
ill and offered him wine4  ,but he      
declined it1 with these words1 ,i have  

been in at ,argyll1 and saw him sleeping
 as pleasantly as ever a man did1 within
 an hour of eternity3 but as for me--and
 then he could say no more4  ,argyll's  
place of imprisonment may still be seen 
in ,edinburgh ,castle4 ,in ,mr4 ,ward's 
picture his bed-chamber is before you4  
,its thick walls1 its bare floor1 and   
its heavy vaulted roof are all of stone4
  ,through an open door you look into   
another room where you see the table at 
which he has just dined4  ,it is covered
 with a white cloth1 on which are the   
remains of the dinner1 and you notice   
that the wine-glass that stands beside  
the flagon has not been emptied4  ,in   
the nearer room the ,earl is lying on   
the prison bed in his ordinary clothes4 
,he wears a suit of black velvet1 with a
 collar of lace at the neck1 and full   
cuffs of white linen at the wrists4     
,his boots have not been removed1 and he
 is stretched out only as comfortably as
 his fetters will allow4  ,his head     
rests on a great white pillow1 and his  

brown hair falls smoothly from beneath  
his black velvet cap4  ,a newly written 
letter has fallen from his hand to the  
floor4  ,you can read the signature1    
,argyll1 and the date1 #afhe4  ,on a    
chair at the head of the bed there is a 
large ,bible1 and beside it lies an     
old-fashioned watch1 with its hand      
moving slowly round to the hour of      
execution4  ,the light from a little    
window falls on the sleeping prisoner's 
face1 which is fresh coloured and full  
of peace1 with no trace of paleness or  
fear4  ,near the foot of the bed the    
thick outer door1 studded with iron1 and
 with a heavy lock1 and many bolts1     
stands open4  ,in the background there  
is a rough gaoler1 holding the door by  
the key in the lock1 while the rest of  
the bunch of prison keys hangs from his 
hand4  ,in front of him is the officer  
of state1 fashionably dressed in a rich 
red cloak1 with a tasselled waist-band4 
,his cuffs are of fine lace1 he wears a 
jewelled ring1 and his long hair curls  

down upon his shoulders4  ,he has let   
his hat fall to the floor in his        
astonishment1 and is staring at the     
sleeping ,earl with remorse and         
confusion in his face4  ,such a picture 
suggests many thoughts4  ,it reminds us 
of the cruel sufferings our forefathers 
had to endure for conscience' sake1 and 
of the great debt we owe to those who   
were ready to lay down their lives in   
the cause of truth and freedom4  ,it    
shows also what a terrible thing it is  
to have a guilty conscience1 as the     
officer who visited ,argyll plainly had4
  ,it teaches that a bad man's life of  
remorse and shame is a thing far more   
miserable1 and far more to be feared1   
than a good man's undeserved death4     
,above all1 it tells us that the secret 
of courage and calmness1 both for living
 and for dying1 is faith in ,god our    
,father1 and in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ
 our ,saviour4  ,it proves how true are 
the words1 ,thou wilt keep him in       
perfect peace whose mind is stayed on   

,thee1 because he trusteth in ,thee4    
,,wishart ,,dispensing ,,the ,,sacrament
 ,,before ,,his ,,martyrdom  ,,by ,w4   
,q4 ,,orchardson1 ,r4,a4                
,illustration3 ,,wishart ,,dispensing   
,,the ,,sacrament ,,before ,,his        
,,martyrdom4 ,from a photograph by ,j4  
,r4 ,annan1 ,glasgow1 by permission of  
,mr4 ,j4 ,c4 ,buist4   ,,wishart        
,,dispensing ,,the ,,sacrament ,,before 
,,his ,,martyrdom  ,with desire ,i have 
desired to eat this passover with you   
before ,i suffer4--,,luke xxii4 #ae4    
,here we have a picture which represents
 a ,communion service1 yet a service    
which is different in some ways from    
those which you have been accustomed to 
see4  ,the company is a small one1 for  
there are only about a dozen people     
present4  ,they are met1 not in a       
church1 but in a rather bare and plainly
 furnished room4  ,in the centre of the 
picture there is a table covered with a 
white cloth1 on which is set a salver   
with some bread and three wine cups upon

 it4  ,behind the table a man is        
standing and speaking1 with his hands   
stretched out over the bread and the    
wine before him4  ,he is tall and       
bearded1 and wears a simple dress of    
dark colour4  ,his face is pale1 and his
 whole look is full of an earnest       
gladness4  ,beside him sits a richly    
dressed lady1 with a countenance of rare
 beauty and goodness4  ,her eyes are    
fixed on the speaker1 and she is        
drinking in eagerly every word that he  
utters4 ,beyond her1 at one end of the  
table1 sits a gentleman with a refined  
and thoughtful face4  ,he also is       
leaning forward and listening with the  
deepest interest4  ,opposite him1 at the
 other end of the table1 an old man is  
sitting very erect1 with one hand       
resting on a staff1 and the other       
grasping the arm of his chair4  ,he too 
is gazing steadfastly at the man who    
speaks4  ,beside the old man is a woman1
 and on her knee is a little child who  
is playing with one of the pieces of    

bread on the table4  ,at the side of the
 table next us there is a chair with a  
soldier's round shield set against it   
and a sword lying upon it4  ,a          
sweet-faced little girl is leaning over 
the chair and clasping her arms round   
the hilt of the sword4  ,she is another 
eager listener1 and she seems to        
understand all that is being said4      
,behind her stands the man to whom the  
sword and the shield belong4  ,beyond   
them is another man whose head is bowed 
down upon the back of the gentleman's   
chair1 and who appears to be hiding his 
face in sorrow4  ,at the further side of
 the table are two or three men4  ,above
 them a curtain hangs from the roof4    
,the only other bit of ornament in the  
room is a tall vase which stands on the 
floor in front of the table4  ,behind   
the speaker there is an open doorway1   
guarded by a soldier with a steel cap on
 his head4  ,you will ask when and where
 this ,communion service took place1 and
 who the people in the picture are4     

,well1 the time is the year             
#aedf--nearly #cfj years ago4  ,the     
place is the ,castle of ,saint ,andrews4
  ,the speaker is ,george ,wishart1 one 
of the early martyrs of the ,scottish   
,reformation4  ,the scene took place on 
the morning of the day--the #bhth of    
,march--when he was burned to death at  
the stake in front of the ,castle4  ,the
 gentleman at the end of the table is   
the ,governor of the ,castle4  ,the     
beautiful lady is his wife4 ,the little 
girl and the baby boy are their         
children4  ,the others present are their
 guests1 or their servants1 or friends  
of the prisoner4  ,and the soldier at   
the door is there to see that the       
condemned man does not escape4  ,let me 
tell you a little more about ,george    
,wishart1 and about what took place that
 ,march morning4  ,wishart was a learned
 ,scottish gentleman1 who had come to   
believe in the gospel as ,luther and the
 other ,reformers preached it4  ,he had 
been banished from his native land by   

the bishops for teaching the ,greek ,new
 ,testament at ,montrose4  ,after       
spending some years at the ,university  
of ,cambridge in ,england he had        
returned to ,scotland in #aedd1 and had 
preached the ,reformed doctrines with   
great earnestness and success in        
,montrose1 ,dundee1 ,ayrshire1 and      
,haddington4 ,in the last-named place he
 had among his followers ,john ,knox1   
who was then a young man1 and who       
afterwards became the great leader of   
the ,scottish ,reformation4  ,before    
going to ,haddington he had paid a      
second visit to ,dundee1 where the      
plague was raging at the time1 and had  
ministered with great fearlessness and  
tenderness to those who were suffering  
from this dreadful disease4  ,there is  
still standing in ,dundee one of the old
 city gates--the ,cowgate ,port1 where  
,wishart preached to the healthy on one 
side1 and to the plague-stricken on the 
other4  ,when in ,dundee at this time1  
he narrowly escaped being murdered by   

the enemies of the truth2 and after he  
left ,haddington he fell into the hands 
of ,cardinal ,beaton1 who was the leader
 of the ,roman ,catholic party in       
,scotland4  ,he was taken to ,saint     
,andrews1 tried for heresy1 sentenced to
 death1 and condemned to be executed the
 next day4  ,after spending the night in
 prayer1 he was visited next morning by 
a good man called ,john ,winram1 who was
 then the ,sub-,prior of the ,abbey of  
,saint ,andrews1 and who afterwards     
joined the ,reformed ,church4  ,winram  
had a long talk with him in his prison  
cell1 and asked him if he was willing to
 receive the ,sacrament of the ,lord's  
,supper4  ,wishart answered1 ,most      
willingly1 so ,i may have it ministered 
according to ,christ's institution1     
under both heads1 of bread and wine4    
,winram then went to ,cardinal ,beaton  
and the other bishops1 and asked that   
this might be granted to the prisoner4  
,but they refused1 answering that it was
 not reasonable to grant any spiritual  

benefit to an obstinate heretic1        
condemned by the ,church4  ,after       
,wishart heard this he was invited to   
breakfast by the ,governor of the       
,castle1 and he accepted readily1       
saying1 ,i perceive1 you to be a good   
,christian1 and a man fearing ,god4     
,when they were at breakfast1 ,wishart  
said to his host1 ,i beseech you in the 
name of ,god1 and for the love you bear 
to our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 to be   
silent a little while1 till ,i have made
 a short exhortation1 and blessed this  
bread which we are to eat1 so that ,i   
may bid you farewell4  ,then he spoke to
 the company for about half an hour on  
the institution of the ,lord's ,supper1 
and the death of ,christ1 and exhorted  
them to love one another and to live    
holy lives4  ,afterwards he blessed and 
broke the bread1 and gave a portion to  
every one present4  ,and in the same    
way1 after tasting the wine1 he passed  
the cup round them all1 bidding them to 
remember with thankfulness the death of 

the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4  ,as to       
myself1 he said1 there is a more bitter 
portion prepared for me1 only because ,i
 have preached the true doctrine of     
,christ1 which bringeth salvation4  ,but
 pray you the ,lord with me that ,i may 
take it patiently1 as out of ,his hand4 
,then he concluded with another         
thanksgiving1 and went back to his own  
chamber to wait for the hour of his     
martyrdom1 which came very soon4  ,the  
stake at which he was to be burned was  
fixed in the ground in front of the     
,castle1 and the ,cardinal and his      
friends sat on cushions at the windows1 
to enjoy the sight of his martyrdom4    
,wishart was led to the place with his  
hands bound behind his back1 a rope     
round his neck1 and an iron chain about 
his waist4  ,he knelt down and prayed   
thrice1 ,oh1 thou ,saviour of the world1
 have mercy on me6  ,father of heaven1  
,i commend my spirit into ,thy holy     
hands4  ,the executioner knelt down     
before him and asked his forgiveness for

 what he was about to do4 ,wishart said1
 ,come hither2 and then kissed his      
cheek1 with the words1 ,lo1 here is a   
token that ,i forgive thee4  ,my heart1 
do thine office4 ,when the flames leaped
 up around him1 he cried to the         
,governor of the ,castle1 ,this fire    
torments my body1 but no way abates my  
spirit4 ,last of all he warned the      
,cardinal that his own doom was near at 
hand1 and then he was strangled by the  
rope being pulled tightly about his     
neck1 and his body was burned to ashes4 
,now1 if we come back to the picture of 
,wishart's last ,communion1 we shall    
find in it many deep and beautiful      
lessons1 which even boys and girls can  
understand and learn4  ,you see that in 
the days of the ,reformation there were 
good men and women1 like ,john ,winram1 
and the ,governor of the ,castle1 and   
his wife1 who sympathised with the      
,reformers1 even though at first they   
did not come out boldly on their side4  
,and there are still people1 in the most

 unlikely places1 who really love truth 
and goodness1 and show their secret     
feeling at times in unexpected and      
surprising ways4  ,you see that we do   
not need bishops and priests to give us 
the ,lord's ,supper1 but that this      
,sacrament can be enjoyed in the        
simplest way wherever two or three      
followers of the ,lord ,jesus are       
gathered together in ,his name4  ,george
 ,wishart's last ,communion was         
strangely like the first ,communion of  
all1 which ,jesus observed at ,jerusalem
 with ,his disciples4  ,wishart1 like   
his ,master1 was about to die for the   
truth4 ,he desired to hold this farewell
 feast with his friends4  ,and in doing 
so he made use just of the food and     
drink of an ordinary meal4  ,and you    
see1 lastly1 that the ,communion in the 
picture was like our own ,communions in 
this1 that children were present1       
looking on1 and listening1 and          
understanding something of what was said
 and done4  ,i am sure the ,governor's  

little girl would never forget that     
,communion1 nor the good man who took   
such a touching farewell of his friends 
in the name of the ,lord ,jesus4  ,i    
think that surely she would always      
remember not only ,george ,wishart1 but 
,george ,wishart's ,master and ,lord1 of
 whom he spoke so earnestly1 and for    
whom he was so willing to die4  ,and ,i 
hope that you boys and girls who look on
 at the ,communion services in your own 
church1 and see the disciples of ,jesus 
,christ eating the bread and drinking   
the wine in remembrance of ,him1 will   
understand something of what all this   
means1 and will learn to love ,him and  
serve ,him and remember ,him yourselves1
 and all your lives long4     ,,the     
,,rider ,,on ,,the ,,white ,,horse  ,,by
 ,g4 ,f4 ,,watts1 ,r4,a4                
,illustration3 ,,the ,,rider ,,on ,,the 
,,white ,,horse4  ,by permission1 from a
 photograph by ,mr4 ,frederick ,hollyer4
   ,,the ,,rider ,,on ,,the ,,white     
,,horse  ,and ,i saw1 and behold1 a     

white horse3 and he that sat on him had 
a bow2 and a crown was given unto him3  
and he went forth conquering1 and to    
conquer4--,,rev4 vi4 #b4   ,the ,book of
 ,revelation is full of word-pictures of
 the wonderful things which its writer  
saw in vision4  ,and it is natural that 
great artists should try to turn some of
 these word-pictures into real pictures 
for the eye4  ,mr4 ,watts has done this 
for the first part of the sixth chapter1
 which tells us about the four different
 horses1 white1 red1 black1 and pale1   
and about their four riders4  ,he has   
made these horses and riders the        
subjects of four different paintings1   
and it is the first of them--the ,rider 
on the ,white ,horse--which is before us
 now4 ,as we look at the picture we are 
helped to imagine what the vision was   
like1 and helped perhaps also to        
understand the truth it was meant to    
teach4  ,the ,horse and the ,rider are1 
of course1 the principal figures4  ,the 
,horse is a splendid milk-white charger4

  ,its breast is broad and powerful4    
,its neck is arched proudly4  ,it has a 
small but graceful head1 beautiful eyes1
 widely opened nostrils1 and a mouth    
that seems to be impatiently champing   
the bit4  ,the front portion of its mane
 is parted on its brow and streams back 
round the ears on either side4  ,the    
rest of the mane is erect on its neck4  
,the ,rider is a towering and terrible  
figure4  ,he wears a loose flowing cloak
 which swells around and behind him in  
the wind4  ,his left arm1 strong and    
bare1 is firmly stretched out1 and his  
left hand holds a thick bow in its iron 
grasp4 ,his right arm is out of sight1  
and only the right hand is seen1 drawing
 back the bowstring to his breast4  ,at 
his left side there hangs a quiver1 full
 of arrows with feathered shafts4  ,on  
his head he wears a stately winged      
helmet1 and above it a crown4  ,his face
 wears a look of commanding strength1   
and in the eyes beneath the shadow of   
the helmet there is an awful gleam of   

fixed and pitiless resolve4  ,these two 
principal figures are closely surrounded
 by others4  ,three of these on the left
 of the ,horse first attract our        
attention4  ,the foremost1 a dusky form1
 with head bent forward1 and breast and 
shoulders bare1 leads the ,horse with   
his right hand by the bridle rein4      
,behind him1 the fair face of a woman   
appears1 framed in the folds of the     
mantle that is gathered closely around  
her neck2 and behind this still another 
face is seen in the background4  ,these 
three are all marching alongside of the 
,horse and his ,rider4  ,just in front  
of the figure who leads the ,horse there
 is a figure lying backwards with closed
 eyes1 as if in death2 and on the       
further side of the ,horse two other    
lifeless faces come into view4  ,in the 
lower left hand corner of the picture1  
just in front of the ,horse we see the  
bowed head and stooping shoulders of one
 more dark form4  ,all these figures1   
the dead as well as the living1 have    

bright stars on their foreheads1 though 
the star on the brow of the one furthest
 back is partly hidden by the bow4 ,the 
,rider and his companions move forward  
under a gloomy sky1 with angry streaks  
of light showing here and there between 
the clouds4  ,a wind seems to be blowing
 in their faces4  ,and high up behind   
them great eagles1 with spreading wings1
 are hovering in the air4  ,now1 what   
shall we say is the meaning of the      
,bible vision which this picture brings 
afresh before our eyes8  ,the four      
,horses with their ,riders represent    
four kinds of judgment which ,god sends 
at times upon the world4  ,they are     
,conquest1 ,slaughter1 ,famine1 and     
,death4  ,the ,rider on the ,white      
,horse stands for the first of these4   
,the picture shows us the way in which  
strong nations and their rulers subdue  
the world1 and build up great ,empires  
by force4  ,the ,rider's stately figure1
 and resolute face1 and stern1 unpitying
 eyes remind us of famous conquerors    

like ,alexander the ,great and          
,napoleon4  ,the bow and quiver make it 
clear that it is by the weapons of war  
that their successes have been won4     
,the proud war-horse1 forcing its way   
among the thronging forms around it1    
suggests the resistless power with which
 ,conquest goes on its triumphant way4  
,the crown on the ,rider's head is an   
emblem of the glory and dominion which  
conquerors win4  ,in the other figures  
with the starry brows we may see the    
different nations1 or the kings and     
queens1 who have been touched and       
influenced by the spirit of ,war for    
,empire's sake4  ,the leader of the     
,horse1 and the other two forms behind  
him1 may represent nations that are     
marching along on the path of ,conquest4
  ,the prostrate1 lifeless figures may  
be nations that have perished in the    
strife4  ,and the bowed head in front of
 the ,horse's breast may stand for one  
of the nations that are subdued1 and    
brought under the power of those that   

are stronger than themselves4  ,the     
dark1 angry sky makes us feel that the  
,conqueror's progress is full of dread2 
and the eagles give us a hint of the    
horrors that he leaves behind him1 of   
the dead bodies that lie in the track of
 the ,white ,horse and his terrible     
,rider1 of the other three ,riders1 more
 terrible still1 who follow in his      
train4  ,as we look at this picture we  
learn that ,war and ,conquest have two  
sides4  ,at first sight we are attracted
 by the power and majesty of the ,horse 
and his ,rider1 and we cannot help      
admiring them4  ,there is something     
grand and noble in the might of a great 
nation1 in the strong will and fearless 
courage of a great conqueror4  ,we are  
stirred and thrilled when we see the    
march of great armies1 and hear the     
tidings of great victories4  ,there is a
 feeling of pride in belonging to a     
great ,empire which has proved itself   
able to subdue the world4  ,it seems a  
glorious thing to lead1 or even to take 

part1 in such a conquest4  ,but the more
 closely we look at the picture1 the    
more we feel that it is not altogether a
 pleasant and satisfying sight4  ,the   
kind of conquest which the ,rider on the
 ,white ,horse represents is1 after all1
 not a blessing1 but a judgment which   
,god sends on the world4  ,it is the    
victory of strength over weakness4  ,if 
it brings glory to some nations1 it     
brings destruction to others1 and       
humiliation to others still4  ,it means 
the loss of countless lives1 and the    
wrecking of numberless homes4  ,it is   
followed by unspeakable sufferings and  
bitter sorrows4 ,it knows nothing of    
pity or mercy4  ,its garlands of triumph
 are stained with blood and tears4  ,and
 so we gladly turn away from this       
picture to think of another ,conqueror  
of whom the ,bible tells us1 and who is 
described in these words3 ,behold1 thy  
,king cometh unto thee3 ,he is just1 and
 having salvation2 lowly1 and riding    
upon an ass4444  ,and the battle-bow    

shall be cut off3 and ,he shall speak   
peace unto the nations3 and ,his        
dominion shall be from sea to sea1 and  
from the river to the ends of the       
earth4#a  ,this conquering ,king is the 
,lord ,jesus ,christ4  ,he took these   
words of the prophet to ,himself when   
,he rode into ,jerusalem to die4  ,his  
conquest is of a far nobler kind than   
that of war and force4 ,it is the       
victory of right over wrong4  ,its      
motive is not ambition1 but love4  ,he  
is not stern and pitiless1 but tender   
and gracious4  ,he rides in majesty     
because of truth1 and meekness1 and     
righteousness4#b  ,he is the ,prince of 
,peace4  ,his triumphs bring no sorrow  
or hurt or death in their train4  ,he   
blesses those whom ,he overcomes4  ,his 
,empire is the only one that we can be  
truly proud to belong to1 the only one  
that will conquer the whole world and   
last for ever4     ,jesus shall reign   
where'er the sun   ,does his successive 
journeys run2   ,his kingdom stretch    

from shore to shore1   ,till moons shall
 wax and wane no more4    ,blessings    
abound where'er ,he reigns3   ,the      
prisoner leaps to lose his chains2      
,the weary find eternal rest2   ,and all
 the sons of want are blest4    #a      
,zech4 ix4 #i1 #aj4  #b ,ps4 xlv4 #d4   
,,the ,,man ,,with ,,the ,,muck-,,rake  
,,by ,,the ,,late ,,sir ,j4 ,,no,l      
,,paton1 ,r4,s4,a4   ,illustration3     
,,the ,,man ,,with ,,the ,,muck-,,rake4 
,by permission of ,mr4 ,haydon ,hare4   
,,the ,,man ,,with ,,the ,,muck-,,rake  
,set your affection on things above1 not
 on things on the earth4--,,col4 iii4   
#b4   ,in the second part of the        
,pilgrim's ,progress1 ,bunyan tells us  
how ,christiana and her children came to
 the ,interpreter's ,house1 and were    
taken by the master of it into one of   
his ,significant ,rooms4  ,in one of    
these there was a man that could look no
 way but downwards1 with a muck-rake in 
his hand2 there stood also one over his 
head1 with a celestial crown in his     

hand1 and proffered him that crown for  
his muck-rake2 but the man did neither  
look up nor regard1 but raked to himself
 the straws1 the small sticks1 and dust 
of the floor4  ,the late ,sir ,nol      
,paton has taken this as the subject of 
one of his most famous pictures4  ,the  
canvas is a large one1 and the figures  
in it are of life-size4  ,that of the   
man with the muck-rake himself first    
arrests your eye1 and chiefly draws your
 attention4  ,he is an old man with a   
grey beard4  ,his face is a handsome    
one1 and you see that he has gifts and  
powers which might have made him wise   
and venerable in his old age1 if only he
 had made a good use of them4  ,but     
instead of the noble gravity which you  
might expect to find on such a face1    
there is nothing but an eager gleam and 
a senseless smile of perfectly childish 
and foolish delight4  ,he wears on his  
head an old broad-rimmed hat1 adorned   
with a gold chain and a peacock's       
feather4  ,at his belt he has several   

bags full of gold1 and also a dagger    
with which he is ready to defend his    
possessions4  ,one of the bags has      
burst1 and the coins are dropping on the
 ground4  ,on his back he carries a     
wallet1 crammed with old law-papers and 
straw4  ,he kneels on one knee1 and his 
whole body is bent downward4  ,with his 
left hand he grasps the handle of a rake
 which has three long prongs4  ,he is   
using the rake to draw towards him a lot
 of varied stuff that is littered about 
in front of him--more straw and papers1 
a broken necklace of beads1 and a       
heart-shaped brooch1 besides coins and  
feathers1 and other such things4  ,a    
large black beetle creeps near his feet4
  ,a little further in front of him more
 rubbish lies in a heap--a book of      
fashions1 a fan1 still more straw1 some 
artificial roses and withered leaves1 an
 old lamp1 a skull1 and a king's crown1 
all battered and bent and blood-stained4
  ,there is a toad crouching under the  
fan4  ,among the other things a snake is

 crawling1 and blowing out of its mouth 
beautifully coloured bubbles1 airy and  
unsubstantial4 ,you can see one of them 
breaking as it touches a stone4  ,it is 
on these bubbles that the eager1        
delighted gaze of the old man is fixed1 
and to grasp them he is stretching out  
his thin and trembling right hand4  ,his
 left ankle is bound by a strong fetter 
of gold4  ,when you have looked at the  
picture for a little while1 you see that
 he is in a prison cell4 ,a faint light 
glimmers through a grated window at the 
back1 where steps come down into the    
cell by the side of a pillar4  ,beside  
the old man a lantern stands on the     
ground4  ,its glass sides are shaped    
like church windows1 but the flame of   
the candle inside is guttering and going
 out4 ,the straw on the floor is        
bursting into red flames and wreaths of 
smoke1 and the whole pile of rubbish is 
on the point of being burned up4        
,behind the man with the muck-rake is   
another ,figure1 tall and straight1 yet 

bending down in pity4  ,it is the       
,figure of ,christ4  ,he stands         
motionless1 with a look of sorrowful    
patience on ,his face4  ,one of ,his    
hands is laid on the old man's shoulder1
 and with the other ,he holds up a      
bright crown4  ,it is a crown of thorns1
 the same which ,he wore ,himself1 but  
on the thorns are seven bright stars4   
,they turn it into a crown of glory1 and
 shed a radiance over all the picture4  
,you can see that the ,saviour's hands  
have been pierced1 and that the thorns  
have left bleeding marks upon ,his brow4
  ,away in the dim background1 hovering 
on many-tinted pinions1 and with hands  
clasped in prayer1 is an angel--the     
guardian angel of the old man's soul4   
,this angel has a face of unspeakable   
sadness1 and eyes in which you can      
almost see the trembling of big tears1  
ready to fall4  ,these are some of the  
things that the genius and the exquisite
 skill of the painter have put into the 
picture for our eyes to see4  ,what did 

he mean our minds and hearts to         
understand by them all8  ,perhaps ,i may
 begin to answer that question by       
reminding you of what ,john ,banyan     
meant by the man in his story4  ,then   
said ,christiana 7to the ,interpreter71 
,i persuade myself that ,i know somewhat
 the meaning of this2 for this is a     
figure of a man of this world3 is it    
not1 good ,sir8  ,thou hast said the    
right1 said he2 and his muck-rake doth  
show his carnal mind4  ,and whereas thou
 seest him rather give heed to rake up  
straws and sticks1 and the dust of the  
floor1 than to do what he says that     
calls to him from above1 with the       
celestial crown in his hand1 it is to   
show that ,heaven is but as a fable to  
some1 and that things here are counted  
the only things substantial4  ,now1     
whereas it was also shewed thee that the
 man could look no way but downwards1 it
 is to let thee know1 that earthly      
things1 when they are with power upon   
men's minds1 quite carry their hearts   

away from ,god4  ,then said ,christiana1
 ,o deliver me from this muck-rake6  ,i 
think ,i am not wrong in saying that the
 story and the picture set before us two
 kinds of life--a poor and worthless one
 which many people choose1 and a high   
and glorious one from which many people 
turn away4   ,i  ,the man with the      
muck-rake represents ,the worldly       
life--the life of selfishness1 of       
grasping and striving after the good    
things of this earth alone4  ,this is a 
childish kind of life for any one to    
spend4  ,a look at the old man's face   
shows us that4  ,god has given us       
natures that we can put to the noblest  
uses2 but if we prize and pursue nothing
 save the pleasures and the riches of   
this world1 we shall carry into our old 
age the foolishness and senselessness of
 the youngest children4  ,such a life1  
besides1 is a life of bondage and care4 
,we make the world into a prison1 and we
 fetter ourselves with chains1 when we  
make its good things our chief aim and  

reward4  ,the battered and blood-stained
 crown shows that the highest earthly   
ambitions have their pains and miseries 
even when they are most successful4     
,then this kind of life does not        
satisfy1 and does not last4  ,the varied
 rubbish shows that this world's        
possessions are not worth much after    
all4  ,the bursting bubbles show that   
their attraction is hollow and delusive4
  ,the coins escaping from the bags show
 that we cannot keep our riches for     
ever1 no matter how hard we try4  ,the  
rising flames remind us that nothing on 
the earth will endure4  ,lastly1 a      
worldly life is an unworthy life4  ,the 
toad and beetle and snake show that     
there are often vile things hidden among
 the treasures of earth4  ,the bent1    
crouching form of the old man shows how 
selfishness and greed degrade and bow   
down our nature4  ,the expiring flame of
 the lantern warns us that worldly      
grasping puts out the light of love and 
goodness in the soul4   ,,ii  ,the      

shining crown which ,christ holds out   
calls us to ,the unworldly life4  ,this 
is a life of love1 of giving1 of        
sacrifice like ,his own4  ,such a life  
is the only one that is truly happy1    
though it may not seem so pleasant as   
the other4  ,it is far more blessed to  
give than to receive4  ,it is the only  
life that is truly noble4  ,there never 
was such a grand life as the life of the
 ,lord ,jesus on earth1 and the more our
 life is like ,his1 the nearer will it  
come to its highest and best4  ,it is   
the life1 too1 that leads to the richest
 reward4  ,the thorns are turned into   
stars4  ,the emblem of pain and         
sacrifice is changed into a crown of    
light and glory4  ,but it is the life of
 likeness to ,christ4  ,it is a share of
 ,his own crown and of ,his own glory   
that ,he offers to us1 and we cannot get
 these except by being like ,him4  ,we  
can only win them by following ,him4 ,he
 has suffered for us1 and given ,himself
 for us4  ,we need to learn of ,him1 and

 to be filled with ,his ,spirit of      
self-forgetting1 self-denying1          
self-sacrificing love4  ,some of you may
 be old enough to feel that your life   
has already been too much like that of  
the man with the muck-rake4  ,it has    
been too selfish and too worldly3 it has
 been a life beneath you2 a life of     
chains and bondage2 a life perhaps      
touched with vileness2 a life spent in  
pursuit of worthless trifles2 a life    
degrading and darkened and foolish and  
vain4  ,well1 this patient ,saviour     
stands beside you4  ,he bends over you  
in pity4  ,he touches you with ,his     
pierced hand4  ,he asks you to yield to 
,his love1 and to be loving like ,him4  
,he offers you the crown of glory1      
instead of the rubbish that you have    
coveted so long4 ,if you will look up to
 ,him1 and meet ,his look1 and take ,his
 gift1 and follow ,him1 you will find   
true light1 true freedom1 true riches1  
true nobility4  ,his suffering will be  
rewarded4  ,his patience will be        

satisfied4  ,there will be joy in the   
presence of the angels of ,god4